New NI PXI Express Chassis Deliver Added Value and Performance to Automated Test and Control Applications

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- National Instruments NATI today announced two new PXI Express chassis that deliver added value and performance to automated test and control applications at the same price as similar PXI chassis. Engineers can use the NI PXIe-1078 nine-slot and NI PXIe-1071 four-slot chassis to take advantage of the latest PXI Express modules and controllers with the flexibility of backward compatibility with existing PXI modules.

"With the launch of the PXIe-1078 and PXIe-1071, NI now offers 20 different PXI and PXI Express chassis, delivering the most flexibility and value for engineers designing PXI systems," said Eric Starkloff, vice president of product marketing for NI. "Whether you need to optimize your system for cost, size, streaming performance or legacy compatibility, NI brings the most complete offering to market."

The NI PXIe-1078 nine-slot chassis features 1 GB/s total system bandwidth. It accepts up to a four-slot wide embedded controller in one slot and supports up to eight peripheral PXI Express slots with five slots compatible with both PXI Express and PXI modules. In addition to the benefits of a PXI Express chassis, the NI PXIe-1078 includes one more module slot than the same priced NI PXI-1042 standard eight-slot PXI chassis. With a shallow depth of 214.2 millimeters (8.43 inches), the NI PXIe-1078 also delivers higher slot-counts to applications with tight space requirements.

The NI PXIe-1071 four-slot chassis offers 3 GB/s total system bandwidth. It accepts up to a four-slot wide controller in one slot, with three slots available for either PXI Express or PXI modules. This chassis offers more than 20 times the bandwidth of the same priced NI PXI-1031 standard four-slot PXI chassis. Both chassis feature a compact form factor and temperature range of zero to 50 degrees Celsius.

The chassis is a fundamental part of a PXI system, and all NI chassis deliver optimal reliability, cooling, acoustical and electrical performance. The new chassis fully support specification-compliant PXI hardware from NI as well as third parties and include capabilities for both PXI and PXI Express modules to preserve existing module investments. Functioning as part of a software-defined measurement system, these chassis integrate with NI software, including the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment and NI TestStand test management software, to address next-generation test and control requirements.

Readers can learn more about the PXI Express chassis by visiting www.ni.com/pxi.

Additional Resources

NI PXI Chassis and Controller Design Advantages

About PXI

PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) is an open specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (www.pxisa.org) that defines a rugged, CompactPCI-based platform optimized for test, measurement and control. Founded in 1997, the PXI specification is supported by more than 70 vendors offering more than 1,500 PXI products. PXI products are compatible with the CompactPCI and CompactPCI Express industrial computer standards and offer additional features such as environmental specifications, standardized software and built-in timing and synchronization.

About National Instruments

National Instruments (www.ni.com) is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 11 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company's investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing nati@ni.com or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, NI TestStand, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

SOURCE National Instruments